Working Overseas - English 1 Teacher Interview

Vuyo is from Johannesburg, South Africa and currently works for Academic Partnerships at English 1.   

I chose to work for you because there is a sense of accountability, and the company is a legitimate, global organisation. I knew that by joining this particular company, I wouldn’t have to worry about visa issues. I also appreciated the fact that the Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course was sponsored — this was a major factor in my decision to work for you.

From the very beginning, we were supported as a group. From the moment we landed in Shanghai, we received thorough training during the first few weeks. We were clearly informed about what to expect and were fully prepared for the experience of living and working in China. For me, that makes my experience with English 1 truly exceptional.

I first arrived in March 2017 as a Kids and Teens teacher, like many of us, and I worked in that role for about a year and a half. During that time, I grew a lot as a person, particularly in terms of my presentation skills. Prior to that, I had already been working for English 1 back home, but in the online centre, so I wasn't used to teaching face-to-face. In that regard, English 1 really helped me to develop both personally and professionally.

I taught children for about a year and a half, and afterwards, I decided to move into Academic Partnerships, which involves collaborations between English 1 and universities across the city of Shanghai.

I've had the opportunity to work with local Chinese colleagues, and through that experience, I’ve learned a great deal about Chinese culture and the local way of doing things. Beyond that, I’ve also worked with people from the United States, the UK, Jamaica, and many other countries. It honestly feels like a mini–United Nations — such an eclectic mix of people.

This cross-cultural exchange of ideas, work customs, and professional ethics have truly transformed me for the better. I'm genuinely grateful to have had this opportunity. Shanghai is incredibly international and cosmopolitan — you can walk down the street and meet someone from Brazil, and just around the corner, bump into someone from Argentina, for example.

You need to place yourself in environments where you can communicate easily with people from different parts of the world, even if they don’t share the same cultural background as you. Being here has been excellent training — it has exposed me to a variety of cultures and taught me how to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.

Ultimately, it’s shown me that while there may be many differences between us, there are also quite a lot of similarities.